Time for round two! We have given our animal-loving ARKive team the tough decision of picking their favourite animal. For a bunch obsessed with all things wild, this has not been an easy task! Last time Claire shared her love African wild dogs but what species is going to come out top dog this week….

Why? They are the smallest marine mammal in the world and do not have blubber, instead relying on their fur for warmth. They possibly spend more time grooming then any other mammal, and look adorable when they are doing it (see our videos). Not only that, but after giving birth the female carries around her single pup on her chest, grooming and nursing it to make sure its fur stays insulated and nice and buoyant.

Favourite image on ARKive?

Sea otter grooming

The sea otter is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. Threats to this species previously included the fur trade, but since being protected in 1911, human activities, coastal development and pollution have bought new danger to this species.

I think this has to be a strong contender for one of the cutest animals on ARKive :)

Catherine H(April 28th, 2012 at 9:02 pm):

This Sea Otter pup is DEFINITELY a TOP contender for Cutest Animal on Arkive! All otters are just amazing creatures–but there is just something so special about the sea otter–particularly a pup!
I can watch videos of them for hours! Thanks for the “favorite” post!

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